Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon desires in tatters as she’s seen ‘downed’ simply hours earlier than pulling out

Emma Raducanu withdrawal from Wimbledon might not have come as a shock to many, after a scan revealed her leg injury has developed into a stress fracture. The British number one spoke to the media at the All England Club on Sunday following days of conjecture about her fitness, stating she was set to face Antonia Ruzic on Court One on Monday lunchtime.

However, the situation took a turn late in the evening, with Raducanu conceding she would have to sit out her home grand slam for the second time in four years. Posting on Instagram, the 23 year old said: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon.

“I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through. Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process. I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I’m back.”

Concerns were raised when Raducanu was reportedly seen wearing a protective boot on Wednesday, and was heavily strapped up over the weekend during a practice session. She didn’t hit the practice courts until Saturday, when she sported strapping on her lower right leg and ended a session against Russian Anna Kalinskaya early after moving cautiously and losing four games consecutively.

All attention was focused on Raducanu during her session with hitting partner Alexis Canter on Sunday morning, and that had seemed to be more encouraging, despite the former US Open champion not fully putting her movement to the test . . . but the warning signs were there when she was seen sitting on the floor looking dejected.

“I’m going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment,” said Raducanu at her press conference, where she disclosed she had been wrestling with the issue since before her run to the final at Queen’s Club a fortnight ago.

“That’s the plan right now, to play. I have a lower leg niggle that I’ve been dealing with since before Queen’s, actually from the back end of the clay-court season. Queen’s, during that week, was a lot of load for me. Five matches after having not competed for a while. But I’m just managing it with my team as best as I possibly can, exhausting all options and doing what we can.”

Raducanu grinned and chuckled throughout her practice session on Sunday, sparking hopes that she could at least step onto the court. “Yesterday I played for an hour before playing with Anna,” she said. “I think everyone knows I took a few days off, I didn’t practise. The first session I was just a little bit tentative, I’d say, hesitant. Today I did feel better on the court, so that’s a positive sign.”

This will be a crushing setback in what has been another troubled year. Raducanu was hindered by a foot problem in pre-season and then ruled out for two-and-a-half months with a post-viral illness in the spring. “‘ve had a tough start to the season, a lot of time out,” she said. “I have great people around me. I think that’s one thing that’s really been helping in this latest setback.”

Raducanu had expressed her willingness to risk potentially exacerbating the problem to participate in Wimbledon but, ultimately, that has not proved feasible and she now faces another period on the sidelines.